Clinical medicine profile
Busulphan
Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class)
- Route
- See product SmPC
- Schedule
- POM
- ATC
- Not assigned
- PPB status
- registered
This profile needs source confirmation
Some sections contain general class guidance rather than medicine-specific evidence. Confirm prescribing decisions against the current SmPC and Kenya STG/EML.
Safety essentials
The information most likely to change a prescribing or dispensing decision.
Contraindications
- Hypersensitivity to the active substance or excipients.
- Additional absolute contraindications are indication- and product-specific — consult SmPC.
Precautions
- It must be used only under constant supervision by physicians experienced in therapy with cytotoxic agents due to its low therapeutic index
- increased incidence of infections
- increased incidence of hemorrhagic complications
- blood counts should be performed at least once a week.
Dosing matrix
Population and organ-function guidance, shown together for faster comparison.
Usual dose in adult and children: 0.065-0.1 mg/kg daily. It is individualized based on clinical and haematologic response and tolerance of the patient. Consult specialist literature for further information.
See label paediatric section if present; otherwise use paediatric formulary — do not extrapolate adult doses.
Review renal impairment dosing; many agents need CrCl/eGFR adjustment.
- CrCl 0–120: Confirm renal dosing in product SmPC / primary label.
Review hepatic impairment dosing; monitor LFTs if agent is hepatically cleared or hepatotoxic.
Use, effects & interactions
Indications
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia [CML]
- myeloproliferative disorders like severe thrombocytosis and polycythemia vera
- an adjunct in the treatment of myelofibrosis
- a component of pretransplant conditioning regimens in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation for non-malignant diseases.
Adverse effects
- Its major side effect is haematological toxicity, which include severe leukopenia, anaemia, and severe thrombocytopenia
- hyperuricaemia due to increased catabolism
- uric acid nephropathy
- renal stones
- acute renal failure.
Drug interactions
Open multi-drug checker ↗- Professional use: confirm indication, dose, duration, monitoring and patient counselling points against current Kenya STG / EML and the product SmPC.
- Document allergy status and key interactions.
Mechanism & disposition
An alkylating agent that interferes with DNA replication and transcription of RNA.
Read complete mechanism
An alkylating agent that interferes with DNA replication and transcription of RNA. Mechanism is agent-specific. At receptor, enzyme, ion channel, transporter or microbial target level, the drug alters a physiological or pathological pathway to produce its therapeutic effect. Confirm precise molecular mechanism in current SmPC / pharmacology reference for this INN before high-stakes decisions.
Product-specific
Product-specific
See product SmPC
are product-specific. Consider food effects, protein binding, hepatic CYP/UGT
when adjusting for organ impairment, age and drug interactions. Verify parameters in the current SmPC.
Pregnancy, lactation & diet
Use only if potential benefit justifies potential risk; prefer agents with better reproductive data when alternatives exist.
Assess infant risk vs benefit of maternal therapy; prefer agents with lactation data.
Brands & loaded prices
| Brand | Manufacturer | Pack | Observed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| No reviewed brand listings are linked yet. | |||
Sources & review state
Decision support only. Confirm patient-specific decisions against the current product SmPC, Kenya STG/EML, and professional judgement.